By: Dee ReneéJuicy Jim’s Pizzeria on South Highland Street is the go-to place for open mic on Tuesday nights. Jim Matson, owner of Juicy Jim’s Pizzeria, is originally from New Jersey, but moved to Memphis in 1992 and opened Juicy Jim’s in 2003. Matson got the name Juicy Jim when he was 16 and working at a place called Greasy Tony’s, where he impressed two young ladies with his “juicy” burgers. Toke Up Tuesday is the formal name for the open mic event hosted every Tuesday night, which started two years ago.

It started when University of Memphis student Kenneth Hall asked Matson for the opportunity to make some money and get the restaurant exposure though the open mic night.

Start your week off right at Juicy Jim's

Every Tuesday, Jim expects anywhere from 100 to 150 people to crowd his vintage bar for performances.

“I love coming to Juicy Jim’s on Tuesdays. I love to hear the good and bad performers. Some of the bad ones come back every Tuesday to try and redeem themselves,” Jamon Harvell said a junior engineering major at the university